We’re going to be beginning a sequence that may run for a number of weeks that we’re referring to because the Brewers All-Time Group. The catch right here is that it’s not primarily based on any particular person’s profession, however it’s a Brewers group constructed of one of the best particular person seasons at every place within the historical past of the franchise. A few arbitrary guidelines I used whereas placing the group collectively:
Gamers can’t be used greater than as soon as. For instance, you couldn’t use Robin Yount’s 1982 season at shortstop and his 1989 season in heart subject.
To qualify for a place, the participant should have performed extra video games within the given season at that place than at another. For instance, I can’t use Paul Moltior’s 1987 season at third base, as a result of he performed 40 video games as a 3rd baseman and 58 as a DH.
These pointers make for a number of fascinating selections, and in not less than one case there’s a scenario the place a participant makes the group with a season which isn’t really his finest, however which permits for one of the best general group.
I selected to do the eight positions on the sector plus one beginning pitcher and one reduction pitcher. There’s no DH, which I’ll get into when it turns into obligatory to handle.
Have enjoyable. Catcher is up first.
Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy, 2014
153g, .301/.373/.465, 131 OPS+, 53 2B, 13 HR, 69 RBI, 66 BB, 6.4 bWAR, 7.4 fWAR
By 2014, Jonathan Lucroy had already established himself as an All-Star-level participant, even when he hadn’t but made an All-Star Recreation. It was somewhat little bit of a shock. Lucroy wasn’t a non-prospect—he was within the Brewers’ high 10 within the seasons main as much as his debut in 2010—however he wasn’t a high 100 man, and his minor league report was not precisely indicative of a participant who would flip into an above-average main league hitter. The Brewers additionally had one other catcher of their system on the time, Ángel Salomé, who was about the identical age and who many thought could be higher than Lucroy.
However Salomé didn’t work out, Lucroy performed stable protection in a platoon function in his rookie season, and by his second season in 2011, he grew to become the group’s clear starter. He confirmed a little bit of a promise with the bat that 12 months, too, and began 11 of the group’s 13 video games within the postseason.
In 2012, Lucroy shocked everybody by turning into not simply a mean hitter, however an excellent one. I’m positive there have been individuals on the market who thought Lucroy may very well be a effective hitter within the majors, however I doubt there have been many who thought he might hit .320 with energy. That’s precisely what he did in 2012, although he missed two months in the course of the season with the notorious baggage harm. He had a 132 OPS+ in 96 video games, after which he had a 116 OPS+ in 147 video games in 2013 and led the group with 82 RBI. In the meantime, he was on the vanguard of the “pitch-framing” motion, which led some evaluators to charge him as one of many league’s finest defensive gamers, and Fangraphs felt his 2013 season was value 6.6 WAR.
That brings us to 2014. It was, typically, a season that Brewers followers attempt to neglect; they’d a 6.5-game lead on July 1 and nonetheless led the NL Central in mid-August however collapsed down the stretch and ended up dropping the division by eight video games. For Lucroy, although, it was a season to recollect. He hit .301 (and was as excessive as .341 in mid-June), received on base at a .373 clip (because of a career-high 66 walks), and slugged .465, which translated to a 131 OPS+. He led the majors with 53 doubles, which tied Lyle Overbay’s (nonetheless standing) group report and greater than made up for the truth that he hit solely 13 homers. He additionally performed what Baseball Reference’s dWAR considers one of the best protection of his profession, and he completed the season with 6.4 WAR through BRef and an much more spectacular 7.4 through Fangraphs.
Lucroy was the NL’s beginning catcher within the All-Star Recreation and he completed fourth in MVP voting, the all-time end for a Brewer catcher. It was a historic season in one other sense: Lucroy’s 53 doubles are, by far, probably the most ever for a catcher: amongst gamers who performed not less than half of their video games at catcher, Lucroy had six extra doubles than second place (Iván Rodríguez had 47 in 1996). Solely two different gamers—Yadier Molina in 2013 and Joe Mauer in 2010—had even 43 doubles in a season wherein they performed half their video games on the place. (In the event you’d prefer to be choosy about it, Lucroy did play some first base however he additionally broke the report for “doubles hit in video games wherein a participant caught” on the second-to-last day of the season.) Lucroy additionally received the Fielding Bible’s award for the league’s finest defensive catcher (the NL Gold Glove went to Molina).
Accidents led to a down season in 2015, however Lucroy received off to an excellent begin in 2016 earlier than Milwaukee determined to capitalize on his commerce worth. They shipped him to Texas on the commerce deadline, a commerce that introduced them Lewis Brinson, the important thing piece within the Christian Yelich commerce.
For the needs of this train, Lucroy’s 2014 season is head and shoulders above another catching season in group historical past, and it’s the height of a four-year stretch wherein he averaged 6.4 WAR through Fangraphs. That’s famous person stuff, particularly for a catcher.
And whereas this isn’t what I’m essentially right here to speak about, he’s additionally undoubtedly one of the best catcher in group historical past, and it’s not shut, a reality which some would possibly discover shocking. There have been a number of large names on the place: Corridor of Famer Ted Simmons, first general choose B.J. Surhoff, and two others who aren’t Corridor of Famers however who’re among the many finest 30 or so gamers within the historical past of the place, Darrell Porter and Jim Sundberg. However none of these guys performed with the Brewers throughout their prime; Simmons got here in after his finest years, Porter earlier than, Surhoff by no means actually hit till after he left Milwaukee, and Sundberg, whereas he had one in all his finest years as a Brewer, was solely with the group for one season.
Additionally thought-about: William Contreras’s 2023 & 2024 seasons, wherein he was the league’s finest offensive catcher; Ted Simmons’ 1983 season, wherein he hit .308 with 39 doubles, 13 homers, and 108 RBI; Ellie Rodríguez’s 1972, when he inexplicably had an OPS+ 45 factors larger than he’d ever had earlier than and performed good protection; and that’s about it, actually. (For the sake of your sanity, don’t have a look at the gamers the Brewers trotted out at catcher between Dave Nilsson’s retirement in 1999 and Lucroy’s rookie season in 2010.)
